


"Hero" is Just a Title

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anger, Angst with a Happy Ending, Concern, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Heroes, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Metahumans, Panic, Past Child Abuse, Protectiveness, Running Away, Sad, Self-Esteem Issues, Wally becoming Kid Flash, Worry, based on "Divided We Fall" except with YJ Wally
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9231230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: Wally's not a hero before he gets superspeed, and waking up alone with superspeed?  He's still not a hero, but he can't seem to stop saving people.  Yet he keeps reminding himself, "Anyone would've done the same", but would they?What's a hero?





	

_-_ _biip, biiip-_

Waking from a coma is a lot like drowning. You can't tell which way is up, but all you know is that you have to find your way out. Your body is heavy, but inside you're struggling, you're fighting, but there's this _feeling_ like electricity ebbing and surging in his veins. Or at least.. That's how Wally West wakes up.

The first thing he notices is the light. It's dull and the electricity in it hums softly. Energy thrums throughout his veins like he's overdosed on caffeine, but.. 'Where am I?' Soft beeping draws his attention, and his head swivels. 'Heart monitor,' he realizes with panic blossoming beneath his skin. He's in a hospital.

But.. why?

Wally's brows furrow as he ignores the way the sheets make his skin itch. “I remember..” his voice comes out hoarse, throat making a funny sound as he speaks. It hits him. “Lightning.”

_Wally looks up as thunder booms in the sky. The librarian had asked if he was really okay to go home alone, but Wally always did. A storm wasn't anything he hadn't experienced, and after all, his parents weren't about to come get him. Sometimes he thinks they'd rather he just..disappear._

_Beneath the dark sky, he spots a truck. “S.T.A.R. Labs,” he reads as the truck approaches. He also sees signs of flammable chemicals the truck must be transporting. One day maybe he can get a job at S.T.A.R. Labs. Maybe then his parents will be proud of him, though.. it's unlikely._

_'If only..' Light flashes above him, echoing into the dark clouds and then everything feels like it's on fire. It feels like he's being ripped to shreds. Vaguely he hears the screech of brakes, the groan of metal against pavement as it drags and then -splash!- _

_'Wha.. what's going..' Something's burning! There's the crack of thunder, and then.. Everything goes black._

“Was I.. struck by  _ lightning!?” _ Wally tries not to shout.

He throws off the sheets and something incredible happens. The sheets fall slowly like they've been dropped like liquid. Wally blinks, and then they fall normally.

Reaching up, he shuts his own jaw, trying to think rationally. 'I'm not.. it's not… what just..' He remembers.

_Wally watches as his uncle seems to eat with stiff precision, as if he were restraining himself._

_His Uncle Barry showing up a second later with ice cream almost as soon as he'd walked out of the room._

_Uncle Barry meeting some people he knows can't be from the police station before rushing off._

_Flash smiling with familiarity at him, as if he were someone special to him._

“Holy shit,” Wally gasps. His uncle is the Flash. There are countless little details that he'd thought were strange every time he'd met his uncle. Now they all make sense. Now, 'I'm a meta.'

'I'm like  _ Flash!' _

Overwhelmed with astonishment and a bit of joy, he crawls out of the hospital bed and looks around. The room is empty, deserted. There's an empty chair reserved for friends and family, but it looks unused  and dull, as if no one had even come to visit him.

Surely, even though they hate him his parents would come to keep up appearances, right? Where was his aunt and uncle anyways?

Wally stumbles over himself, feet faster than he's ever been able to go, to pluck the medical chart at the foot of his hospital bed. Squinting, he reads:  _ Jonathon Doe. _ 'Doe?' Doe as in.. Jane Doe? John Doe?

He sucks in a breath as he reads over the short incident report.  _ Doused by chemicals and struck by lightning. No relatives. Name unknown. _

He's alone.

Choking on fear, he drops the medical chart and wraps his arms around his form, trembling.  _ There's no one missing him.  _ He wonders where his aunt and uncle are. Certainly, they love him.. don't they? They always seemed to care for him a lot more than his parents, so..where were they?

It takes what feels like hours for him to calm down, for the fear to ebb just enough to allow him to think. It's 6pm, growing darker outside. His parents should be home by now. He should hurry so he doesn't anger them.

Being late always ensured he wouldn't eat until the day after, and sometimes if he was late enough his dad would release all his stress on Wally, beating until he was too tired to hit him anymore. He's got to be at least a day or two late. How long can one be unconscious for after being struck by lightning?

Feeling afraid, he lifts the medical chart again and goes straight to the list of check-ups, where the date and time of each are written. It's a short list, newly written. So maybe three days? At least, that's what he thinks until he sees the year.

Shock makes him suck in a breath. 'It's.. no! It can't be 2015!' Has he seriously been.. Then his eyes catch it.  _ Coma. _ He'd skipped over the part of his current condition earlier. He felt pretty damn fine after all. Sure, there was something  _ sparking _ inside of him but that wasn't anything important.

It has to be a lie. Had no one noticed he was missing for  _ over a year? _

Suddenly, it's all too much to take in. He needs to get away, some place where he can think, can make sense of all of this. He looks down at himself – some kind of pjs that look bland and unhappy on his thin body. He just needs.. to run.

Before he can even think that it's a bad idea to simply disappear from the hospital, he's in a park miles away. His feet sting, bare and tormented by his decision to run shoe-less.

2015.. He can't go home.

'But maybe.. it's not so bad,' Wally thinks to himself, leaning into a tree, area devoid of foot traffic. His parents obviously don't miss him, and they've made it clear they don't want him, so.. maybe this is a good chance to be free.

'Free'.. His lips twitch. Could he finally live without being broken at the hands of his dad, or starved from his mom's desires to watch him suffer?

Truly it's too good of an offer to give up, this sudden new freedom. It's a nice concept, but then what? His stomach growls like a lion. 'Do I have to  _ eat more?' _ He's heard his aunt talk about how much food his uncle ate. Did Flash have an accelerated metabolism?

Wally's stomach growls again, and he wants to hit his head on the tree. It's highly likely that his speed has increased his metabolism. He's familiar with being left hungry, starving, but when he was normal, it'd taken days, weeks. What about now? 'Maybe.. a day? Two?' He's definitely going to have to eat more. Lots more.

Maybe his aunt can feed him.

He's running to Central City when he has a thought. Skidding to a halt right in front of the border of Keystone City, he stares.

His uncle is Flash. Flash is a hero. 'Okay,' he nods through it. 'It's not like anything will change because I suddenly have superspeed just like he does...right?' No one would expect him to be a hero, would they?  Sure, he's like a kid Flash, but he's still merely a kid, but no one would compare him to Flash.. right?

Wally West isn't a hero, at all. He's just some abandoned kid that got struck by lightning and doused by chemicals in an accident that made him a meta-human. He's not a hero. He's just a freak. There's no way he can be like Uncle Barry. Uncle Barry who's Flash, a superhero widely loved an admired, a superhero whom is a founding member of the Justice League.

He  _ can't  _ be a hero.  Wally West isn't like the Flash. He gets beaten and starved by his parents. His mom and dad don't even  _ want _ him. Even at school, he's hated.

Flash is loved by all, even some of those he puts behind bars. He's admired, trusted.. Someone who Wally's heard compared to being 'The Knight of Central'. He's  _ Wally's hero. _ Wally West could never compare.

Cars pass by, sometimes honking as he stands there, looking into the distance where he knows Central City is, miles away. He thinks of his aunt and uncle.. Maybe they don't know? Maybe they would miss him if they knew? Maybe they already do miss him, but he can't go to them. He doesn't deserve it.

He won't go back to his parents, though. Going back there now might just get him killed if they found out he was a meta. Might get him killed for being gone and making them lie through their teeth about him.

No, Wally West is going to live alone. He's going to make it without being a burden to his aunt and uncle. He's going to try and be normal. Normal people live normal lives without being heroes. He's still got to solve the issue of his new metabolism though.

There are many soup kitchens throughout Keystone City as part of their program to combat hunger. In the coming weeks, Wally finds himself adding all of them to his daily life. He visits three or four a day, sometimes running into Central City limits for more options so as not to make people too suspicious. He eats enough with them to stop from starving, but it's never really enough to fill him up.

Homeless shelters are enough to fill his needs. Halfway homes are okay. He does odd jobs, washing dishes, and running errands for enough money to get necessities. Sometimes he has to dodge CPS, but he never really worries about having no time to run, so that's a plus.

Slowly, time trickles by.

  


Time has been fast for Barry and Iris. Their jobs have become increasingly demanding. Iris' time is filled with reporting, and Barry's? Barry's time is chocked full of his day job as a CSI with the Central City Police, and then he has Justice League duties to attend, not to mention being Central City's personal superhero. Even for a Speedster, he has a lot on his plate.

That's why things with Wally sort of.. fall behind.

Sometimes Iris or Barry call Mary and Rudy to see how Wally's doing, because they miss him. Despite the way real life bogs them down, they think about Wally often. They worry for their nephew. 'Why hasn't Wally called?' 'How is he?'

Mary seems pleasant each time she tells them that Wally's getting good grades and being the perfect student. "Oh, you should've seen the art project he got a perfect grade on!" and the like. Singing praises about how much of a perfect son her Wally is being.

 

Rudy seems beyond proud as he brags about Wally joining the football team and becoming a rising star. "Getting to be just like his dad." He's very adamant that Wally not miss any practice and becoming a sports star.

They're happy that Wally seems to be doing well in his education and social life, but.. Why does it feel like something's off?

Barry and Iris keep trying to invite Wally over as time goes on, but Mary and Rudy tell them each time that Wally's 'very busy' with school, with football, with activities. “It's a shame he can't go, but he's having so much fun with school and his friends,” Mary chatters over the phone in an oddly sweet tone. “Perhaps next time? You understand, don't you?”

Before they know it, a year goes by of Wally “being busy”. Barry and Iris can't really come out and say that they're lying. Mary sends Iris a picture of art every now and then, and something doesn't fit, but they can't figure it out.

Left with the hopes that everything's okay and that Wally really is just being a kid with a lot going on, they wait.

  


Life alone in Keystone City has become more manageable as time goes on. He's made a few street friends, tried to keep up with some sort of education between his odd jobs, but most of all he's learned about his speed.

Without his uncle there to guide him, some things are a hit-or-miss. Taking corners is one of them, so is stopping, but he learns as best he can. No, he's not training to be a hero, but he needs to learn control so he doesn't show himself to the world. Somehow he manages.

Wally's anything but a hero, he's some cowardly, gangly nerd that happens to have superspeed. Yet, he lives as if he's normal, as if he doesn't have powers.

He's not a hero, but..

The first time it happens, he's walking down the sidewalk, exhausted from finishing his odd job of working in a factory. It may not be as legal as it could be, but there's nothing legal about Wally's situation right now. His stomach burns, aching to feel some sort of sustenance. He's still getting adjusted to this “free” life.

“Lisa!” a woman's voice calls, making him stop. It's not the name, nor the shout that makes him pause. It's the way the woman's voice drips with horror and fear, like something terrible is about to occur.

Wally's eyes dart about, zeroing in on the woman. Her gaze leads him to the road, and there he sees it. A child – a girl, running into the busy street as a semi comes speeding down. His heart leaps in his chest and everything seems to go in slow motion.

The girl looks over at her mother, face confused as she holds onto the ball she must've run after. She doesn't know why her mother's crying, screaming her name with panic. A horn blares and her head swivels to further down to road. Seeing the truck, her eyes widen and she stands there, frozen, clutching the ball as if it could save her.

There's no guessing about what's about to happen. In less than ten seconds the girl will be run down, killed in the street despite the screech of brakes on the driver's part. Unless someone with abilities saves her. Unless _Wally_ saves her.

He doesn't stop to think about what he's doing, ignores the way his stomach creaks in his body, before he's running. He's slower than Flash, but he's aware that he's also hungry and weakened, but maybe it's just enough.

The instant his sneakers connect with the road, he knows. His arms reach out, pulling the girl against his chest, heart aching as he feels her shake. 4 seconds..

Lightning surges through his veins, curling down his limbs and spreading across his chest and over the girl, and then… he's setting her down beside her mother, smoothing her wild hair down with his hand and asking if she's okay.

The mother looks shocked and confused, but the moment she sees her daughter safely beside her, she pulls Lisa into her arms and hugs her tightly, crying. She asks if Lisa is okay, if she's hurt, and then she turns to Wally, and she  _thanks him._ Wally notices the truck stop without damage out of the corner of his eye, but he's stuck on the fact that he's being thanked.

“It was no problem,” Wally tells her, earnestly. “I'm just glad Lisa is okay.” _Anyone would've saved her._

“Thank you,” the mother repeats. “Let me buy you a meal,” she insists when Wally's stomach growls loudly.

Lisa smiles at him from her mother's arms, and he smiles back a little. “No, thanks. I'm good,” Wally tells her.

“Please, you've saved my daughter. You're a hero,” the mother commends.

But he's not a hero. He's just Wally. Just plain, old Wally West. He shakes his head, perhaps a bit violently, nerves ticking. “No.. No, I'm not a hero. I'm just me. Just an ordinary kid,” Wally shakily responds.

The mother's mouth opens again, but Wally's already turning. He doesn't hear her call after him, thanking him again.

Wally leans against the side of a soup kitchen he's come to frequent, the cool brick scratching against his clothes. “Anyone would've done it,” he assures himself. “Anyone. Just because I saved one girl doesn't make me a hero. I'm not..” He rubs his face wearily with a sigh, simply being called a 'hero' already making him feel overwhelmed.

“Calm down, West,” he chides himself, stomach aching. “Forget it and go get some food.” He shakes his head clear and walks into the soup kitchen, smells of curry wafting up his nose, and he forgets it. It's' not like it'll happen again.

But somehow it does, again and again.

The next day he sees a construction worker tumble from bridge, falling to the highway below, and he knows the man will die without his help, so he catches him and flashes him to safety. This time he flees before anyone can stop him to chat. "I'm not a hero," he repeats to himself later as he eats some kind of runny tomato-veggie soup that tastes too salty to be good. It's just two times.

Yet, the following day on his way to one of his odd jobs, he sees two older teens mug and steal the purse of an old lady. They laugh as they run with the purse, leaving the old lady on the ground, holding her head.

“My husband's watch..” the old lady cries, not seeming to care about the blood running down her pale cheek.

Wally's eyes narrow. 'That's not right,' he thinks, anger filling him with fire inside. He doesn't even bother to think about it before he's whacking the two teens down in a flurry of speed.

“Are you okay?” he asks the old lady, kneeling in front of her in the blink of an eye with her purse in his hands. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

The old lady seems surprisingly unshaken by her experience, never questioning what happened or how Wally had gotten her purse back for her. He helps her up and into a taxi, letting her hold onto him for support when they reach the emergency room.

Wally hates hospitals, but he knows they're necessary. The old lady, Mrs. P seems to get it and spends most of the time talking about her late husband who was a firefighter. She tells Wally about how he once tried to cook dinner for her and had accidentally set the chicken on fire.

He also finds out that she's got some money, like she's most definitely not hurting for cash. How does he find out? She gives him an open invitation to go to her house anytime he wants for a meal. Wally would've refused, but somehow she managed to play the lonely, widow card. He's a sucker for those cards.

“Stop by anytime you like,” Mrs. P tells him as the a black, sleek car pulls up in front of the hospital. “Whenever. Whatever.” Wally goes to protest but a look from Mrs. P shuts him up.

“Promise me, young man,” she demands, pearls jostling on her collar as she places her hands on her hips, looking too much like Wally's aunt.

Swallowing, he surrenders. “I promise.”

Mrs. P smiles and pecks his forehead. “Good boy. I'll see you soon then.” Then she gets into the car and it drives away, leaving Wally behind wondering what the heck just happened.

Going to Mrs. P's house wasn't really supposed to happen, but he feels bad about the possibility that she might expect him. What kind of kid would he be if he disappointed her? So he shows up one evening. She answers the door, beaming with joy.

Her house is more like a mansion. It's huge and she does have hired help. Butlers, house keepers.. He knew she was rich, but he hadn't expected this.

They sit down at a big dining room table as their food is brought in by the safe when he asks as to why she was walking alone. It turns out that she was walking to a café after visiting an old friend and had wanted time to think about her husband and she used to meet their friend. It was before the expansive riches. Wally understands.

She excuses the wait staff during their meals whenever he goes there. Somehow she knows it's a bit embarrassing to be stared at while he fills his stomach as much as he can. Mrs. P never stares when he eats more than a normal kid should. She simply encourages him to make sure he eats his vegetables, something he doesn't have trouble following.

Between visiting her, that's how it slowly builds up. He doesn't think much of saving the man, or the child, nor helping Mrs. P, or anyone else. “Anyone would do it,” he tells himself, a reminder that he's not a hero as he slowly wracks up a long list of people he's saved or helped in some way. It's normal to help others, so he's just being normal. ..Right?

That's Wally's life from then, until things change, until _that day_ arrives.

It had taken a few moments of watching TV to determine what was going on. Everyone stood still, staring at the TV with horror as Lex Luthor emerged, a blue and gray blend of technology he'd heard his uncle's friend Superman call the armor Brainiac with him. Wally didn't pay much attention to Lex Corp., but any opinion of it is shot to Hell as the CEO (is that what he is?) does one of the stupidest things he's ever seen anyone do. And that's coming from Wally who once saw a criminal, full fledged adult in black body armor, try to pretend that he's got little girl in his hands when it's only just a doll. Everyone knew it was a doll, but the man thought Wally would be stupid enough to let him go if Wally'd thought it was a real little girl. He'd put a fast stop on that silly charade.

The camera pans out and he sees the rubble, the destruction. Some buildings are cracked, others have crumbled in areas. “What a horrid man!” Mrs. P exclaims, seeing the alien-man smiling.

Sounds of fighting echo from the speakers and even the wait staff has gone silent, ignoring their duties as one by one the members of the Justice League are beaten down. Wally holds his breath, begging for his uncle to dodge, before he watches with horror as Flash falls to the ground.

Camera swiveling, he sees -  _a little girl???_ Wally sees it all again, slow paced even from this distance, over the TV. A slab of building creaks above her, dust showering her small, crying form.

Once again  _Wally doesn't even think_ before he's standing in the city, miles away from his own, dodging rubble as his clothes smoke slightly, threatening to burst into flames. The small girl is tucked against his chest as he flashes her to safety, an avalanche of debris falling where she'd been.

She's so small in his arms, so innocent as her red hair waves in the air. Her face is pale and stained with frightened tears, and as he sets her down, she clings to him, shaking with terror. It breaks his heart to see her so afraid, but at the same time something new begins to burn in his chest; something he's never felt before, not truly –  _rage._

_How dare someone ever do something like that to a child? Who does this bald dumbass think he is? What does that 60's tech think it's doing to the city, to the people? How dare anyone try to harm innocent lives like that?_ _ Wally can't let this go. _

Wally passes the girl to a policeman and she squeals, fear on her face as he lets her go. “Sssh..” he tells her softly. “It'll be okay. Bad guys never beat heroes, remember?” He gives her a little smile as she nods and starts to cling to the policeman. “Take care of her,” Wally tells the law enforcement officer before he's gone.

He finds himself between the fallen Justice League members and the ugly mix of human and alien tech, rubbing his neck from kinks and stretching. “You know,” Wally starts to drawl, “I was almost ready to have some chocolate cake, right? And then some outdated 60's tech decides to ruin my cake day. Mrs. P's German Chocolate Cake was supposed to be all mine.” His voice is light, but the tightness belays his struggle to contain his anger as the electricity surges through his veins, waiting to strike like a snake at its prey.

  


Barry, lying amongst the dusty rubble, bites his lip and forces himself to think between the hazy pain. “Who's that?” - he hears members of the League ask, trying to pull themselves together as they watch the kind with ginger hair leisurely chiding Lex and Brainiac. _And no one knows._

No one knows until the kid glances back at them with such speed that Barry almost misses it. _It's Wally! His nephew!_

His head whirls, spinning with the new information, disbelief and denial shouting at him from one side, but the logical part stuck in a loop and there is no denying it. 'Oh my god that's Wally!'

Heart trying to beat him up from the inside out with each and every violently fearful beat, he watches as the evil duo stare down at his nephew like he's nothing but an ant and - 'Oh shit!' _He has to get up! He has to save his nephew!_ Questions don't matter. He just needs to protect Wally.

Barry is scrambling with all his might to stand, to protect his small nephew, to have him in his arms, because it's been so damn long, and all of a sudden his nephew is trying to pick a fight with an alien and one of the sickest minds on the planet. The amount of danger his nephew is in, after not seeing him for so long, is enough to make him queasy.

Before he can even dare to stand on his broken leg, Green Lantern is pulling him down. Despite the strong hold on him, he struggles. “Damnit, GL! That's my nephew!” he cries, demanding to be let go.

  


In the meantime, Lex and Brainiac are having the time of their lives. Some stupid _kid_ is trying to protect the _Justice League._ For them, it just goes to show that these so-called heroes are nothing but pathetic and don't deserve the kind of worship they receive. How can they be heroes if they can't even protect a kid? Lex laughs. “You're a brave kid,” he says. “Trying to defend them, I suppose you want to be a hero?”

Wally shakes his head, running a hand through his hair with a rueful smile. He's privately grateful the cameras have all but disappeared from the scene. “I'm no hero.” He takes a step forward, ignoring his uncle's cries for him to run away, to escape. His smile turns into a devious grin as he tilts his head to the side, playfully. “But I am a _Speedster,_ and I hate anyone who makes a child cry.”

No one except Superman and Flash can see what happens next. Wally flashes into the criminal-alien's space, hands lashing out at the man-alien. He may be faster, but he's less experienced and ill prepared. His shoes are ratty, and he's not as strong as he could be if he had eaten more food. Fighting common day muggers and thieves is nothing compared to this.

  


Barry wants to scream when he sees the villain through his nephew into a building, a harsh indentation left behind Wally as he falls onto the ground. He wants to tear the one who touched his nephew limb from limb then throw them into a volcano. That's what he wants with a fiery desire for destruction.

He doesn't understand how Wally's so fast, but he doesn't give a damn right now, because his nephew gets up and runs _at_ the mad mix of man and alien.

Barry sees it coming – the fist, wants to shut his eyes as it flies towards Wally, but just at the last millisecond, Wally goes low and runs right beneath the punch. He lets himself breathe, barely, but it doesn't stop there.

  


Wally's heart pounds in his chest, and he knows he's going to lose if he tries to play this how Superman or anyone else without superspeed would, so he has to do what Flash would do. _He runs._

He runs out of the city, through the country, across the sea, and through other countries. He loops around the world, back into the city and crashes into the combined form of Lex Luthor and Brainiac, ripping the Brainiac armor off their body piece by peace with each loop.

It's working. He's _winning._ 'Just a little bit more,' he forces himself, pushing further. 'Just a little bit more.' His uncle and the League are pulling themselves up, recovering with each spare second.

_But something's wrong._

Wally's body.. his heart is stuttering in his chest, beating with such vigorous violence that it feels like it might explode within him. He can feel the electricity inside him, can feel his speed surge forward and forward like it's straining to continue. Yet, he can't allow Brainiac or Lex a second to recover, so he keeps going. 'Just keep running…'

When the last chunk of Brainiac armor is blown away amidst his speed, he screeches to a halt, body shaking with hunger and clothes falling off with flames. “Oh.. bummer..” Wally gasps out. “I liked those c-clothes..” His vision spins and he stumbles, falling forward, unable to go even one more step.

  


'Oh thank god..' Barry had been relieved to see Wally stop, proud of what his nephew was doing. Even though he was full of questions, concern overrode it all. His nephew.. his _Speedster,_ meta-nephew just tore Brainiac apart, leaving Lex alone and weakened. He was in awe.

But when he saw Wally start to fall, Barry was there. The others could handle Lex and picking up whatever was left of Brainiac. “Wally!” he yelled, holding his shaking nephew in his arms. God, the kid felt so thin, so light, so.. _cold and clammy._

“Wally!” Barry shook him, trying to get his nephew to open his eyes, to say something, anything. His blood froze as he watched his nephew's eyes slip closed, breath shuddering as if it could stop at any moment. “Bats!” Barry roared with panic. “I need help! _Now!”_

He swears he'll never forgive them if his nephew dies, because – _oh my god,_ he can almost feel the Speed Force fading in Wally's body, trying to drag Wally down with it. His nephew is _dying in his arms_ and Barry is the most terrified he's' ever been in his entire life.

He doesn't let _anyone_ take Wally from him as they hurry back to the Watchtower. Barry glares at Batman when the man tries to take his nephew from him to take to the medical wing. He's perfectly capable of doing that himself, so he does. He doesn't do anything except stare as the doctors pump Wally full of nutrients, zapping him with electricity every time his heart pauses for one second too long.

Barry is torn between panicking and wanting to run to every person imaginable and yelling that it's their fault, that he's going to beat them for every little hurt they've given his nephew.

Mostly, he wants to take his brother- and sister-in law and throw them into Arkham. That or into the Sun (he'd find a way, no matter what). All this time, he thought Wally was with them, but obviously he wasn't. This Wally had _powers._ This Wally was a nearly starved _Speedster._ This wasn't the nephew he'd pictured hanging out with friends, practicing football.. No. Obviously, he and Iris had been fooled by Rudy and Mary's lies, and he hates himself for it, like he knows Iris will hate herself over it. How could they have allowed Mary and Rudy to trick them like that?

It feels like forever until the doctors finally declare Wally out of danger, but only just. His condition is precarious and could change, but they want to be hopeful.

Barry sits at Wally's side, clinging to his nephew's hand, begging him to be okay. Without realizing it, Iris slips in and clings to him, silently crying as he watches her nephew struggle. She feels nothing but despair seeing him fighting to stay alive.

“What are we going to do?” she whispers, insides twisting with pain. Barry doesn't look away from his nephew as he snakes an arm around her, pulling her closely against him.

“We're going to keep him safe. No matter what,” he responds. Iris nods, agreeing. She hugs him tightly when he states, “We're not going to fail him again.” She's never felt something ring more true. Her husband is right. She won't allow them to fail Wally. Not again, and hopefully never again.

  


Wally wakes faster this time, of course he's not in a coma, but still.. It's nice not to feel trapped in that limbo between awake and dead to the world. He feels.. full. Tired, but full, which is odd because he's never felt so full since he became a meta. He's warm and clean.. It's been a while, though Mrs. P has certainly tried to keep him clean and well.

He can practically smell the germ free environment, automatically recognizing that he's in a hospital. Again. “Ugh..” At least this time the lights are dimmer, but there seems to be less sunlight. It feels weird.

Wally turns his head, reaching up to rub his eyes, but his hand won't move. Looking down, he sees a hand holding his. Slowly, his gaze moves up the arm, and there's a mop of hair he thought he'd never see again. It's his uncle.

“Uncle Barry?” he hoarsely questions, throat dry. His uncle, who'd been asleep with his aunt leaning into him, jolts awake, startling his aunt from her restless sleep.

“Wally!” they cry, seeing him awake with wide eyes. They cry tears of joy as they hug him tightly, apologizing and assuring him that anything he wants, he'll get.

Wally shakes his head, amused at his uncle's clumsiness. “I don't need anything,” he tells them, just before his stomach growls. Blushing, he corrects, “Except maybe some food?” They all laugh together, freely, weightlessly as they order some food to be delivered from the cafeteria.

He spends a week on the Watchtower, recovering. His uncle makes it a point to drag his League friends in there to meet the “best nephew in the world” and the Justice League seem actually, honestly happy to meet him. They bond over fond frustration at his uncle's ravings. He didn't know they could look so happy. He's only ever seen them looking like they're trying to carry the world on their shoulders. So this is..nice.

Meeting Batman, he admits, makes him nervous, but he's heard of him and how he works with his uncle, so he reminds himself that the Batglare doesn't kill. “It just maims,” his uncle had whispered in his ear prior to the meeting.

“You did a good job,” Batman tells him during one visit, making Wally pause, spoon in front of his mouth with blue jello jiggling in place.

“Huh?” Wally questions, unsure if he misheard the bat themed hero.

Batman meets his eyes and the man continues, “You're just like Flash. You're a hero.”

Wally frowns, opening his mouth to protest, to say he's not, but then his uncle pipes up from the doorway. “He's right, kiddo. You saved us.”

Shaking his head, he argues, “I'm not a hero. Anyone would've done it.”

His uncle and Batman exchange looks before his uncle shrugs. “But _you_ did,” Batman insists, gaze piercing Wally's shield of belief. “It wasn't anyone else. It was you. It was _Wally West.”_

“I'm not Flash,” he replies with his confidence trembling slightly. “I'm just a meta kid.”

  


Barry smiles at his nephew, gently. He gets it. A small nod from Batman gives him the go-ahead. “Wally,” he softly begins. “Heroes.. _real heroes_ , they never call themselves a hero, and they certainly don't need superpowers or gadgets,” he adds with a nod towards Batman. “All they need is the desire to protect someone else, the will to help.”

He reaches out and strokes Wally's cheek with a delicate, loving touch. “Wally, you may not think of yourself as a hero, but that's okay. You're _my_ hero though.”

Blinking back tears, Wally sets the spoon of jello aside, pushing the food away. “But.. I'm just a kid… I'm just some street kid..”

It's the first time he's mentioned living on the streets, and Barry has to restrain himself as anger at Wally's parents bubbles up again. He forces it back, seeing the tears in his sweet nephew's eyes. “No, Wally.. Ssh… It doesn't matter where you're from or who you are. Anyone can be a hero. You saved me – saved us.”

A tear trails down Wally's cheek. He's not sure why. His insides are twisting in unusual ways like they haven't in a long, long time.

Barry reaches out and swipes the tear away, smiling gently, with unabashed love at Wally. “Wally, you saved a lot of people. You saved the Justice League.”

The next thing Wally knows, he's in his uncle's arms, holding onto him tightly with his face pressed into his uncle's neck. Barry holds onto him just as tightly, heart aching as he feels tears on his skin. “You're a hero, Wally,” he repeats.

“I just want to help people,” Wally cries, choking a little as he clings to his uncle.

Barry's arms pull Wally even closer if possible. “And you do, Wally. I know it.”

After Wally finishes crying, Barry pecks his forehead before wiping away any lingering tears on his nephew's face. Smiling at Wally, he asks, “How about you come with Iris and me and be our nephew first though, okay? We really missed you.”

Wally's lips part and Barry can see the hesitation on his face. “How about we help people together, yeah? I mean, we'll need to get the rundown of your abilities, but.. you were pretty quick out there.”

He wants that. Wally loves the idea of being with his aunt and uncle. They're not like his parents – never have been. Still.. he's just not sure..

“That girl you rescued the first time..” Batman speaks up, drawing both Speedsters' attentions. “She's your biggest fan.” Cape trailing behind him, Batman walks over to the hospital bed, pulling out a rolled up paper and handing it to Wally.

Unrolling it with curiosity, he fixes his gaze on it. Inside is a crayon drawing, stick figures of him and the little girl, of Lisa. There's an arrow with some messy words, scratched: “Hero” above the red haired stick him. It looks messy, but at the same time it looks like the best drawing he's ever seen.

Wally reaches up, wiping more tears from his eyes before they have the chance to spill out. For the first time since he's woken up from the coma with superspeed, he thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might've been wrong. Maybe he _had_ become a hero and not even noticed it.

“Okay,” he finally tells his uncle, grabbing his attention and staring into his eyes seriously. He's not sure he's ready, but he's not the one who gave himself the title of 'hero'. The people he saved did. Lisa did. Perhaps he won't ever truly feel like a hero, but he's willing to try. “Let's help people.”

Barry grins, proud of his nephew and ruffles his nephew's hair. “Damn right.”

Batman raises an eyebrow. “Language, Barry.”

The elder Speedster sends Batman a sheepish grin before looking at Wally and winking secretly. Wally holds back a laugh. At least his uncle isn't boring.

“You know, Uncle B,” Wally says, “you're going to have to meet Mrs. P. She's going to want to approve of you before she allows you and Aunt Iris to take me in.”

Barry sits forward, curious. “Oh, really now?”

Wally grins. “Yup! You and she can talk, while I eat the German Chocolate Cake.” Barry looks offended, but when Wally laughs he joins in.

“Whatever you say, Kid Flash. Whatever you say,” Barry replies, looking fondly at his nephew. He's looking forward to anything and everything life throws at him. This time he's got Wally and he'd like to see anyone try and take him away. No one is ever going to hurt his nephew again.

  


Ten months later, Wally stands on the edge of a building overlooking Central City. His yellow and red suit hugging his form comfortably, goggles on his head. “Hey, Kid!” his uncle calls. Wally looks at his uncle, the Flash.

“We gotta book it if we wanna make it to see Mrs. P. I swear, if we're late again she's going to have me skinned and tanned,” Barry tells him, secretly shivering at memory how the rich, elder widow had glared at him the last time he was late.

Wally chuckles at his uncle's antics. Distantly, a news story places on a giant TV over a crowded intersection. _“In other news, Kid Flash saved a school bus from crashing into a gasoline carrying semi. The children are extremely grateful and have started an exhibit of art dedicated to their hero – Kid Flash...”_

“You snooze, you lose! That Oreo Cake is mine!” Wally cries, dashing away from his uncle and down the side of the building, cackling at his uncle's cry of “Unfair!” Scenes flash passed him as he runs, smiling with joy. Some things don't change, and some things do. Perhaps he is thin, and gangly Wally West, but he's also Kid Flash – hero in training, and he's happy with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ After working on this for a few days, I'm finally able to get it out. Phew. Thanks to Nixie for her help with this and for encouraging me to continue it.
> 
> I have another one-shot that I'm going to try and work on, as well as the other ongoing works. It's a slow process since I'm working on moving some stuff around. I also have some extra Wally drabbles on my tumblr (tabihe), if you really want to read them.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.


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